Ironing board supporting structure



C. T. GILBERT IRONING BOARD SUPPORTING STRUCTURE Jan. 12, 1954 Filed May24, 1951 CHARLES T G/LBERT INVENTOR.

flTTO/P/VEY Patented Jan. 12 1954 2,665,507 IRONING BOARD SUPPORTINGSTRUCTURE Charles T. Gilbert, Saginaw,

Mich., assignor to Saginaw Manufacturing Company, Saginaw, Mich., acorporation of Michigan Application May 24, 1951, Serial No. 228,080

Claims.

This invention relates to table supporting structure and particularlyrelates to gripping mechanism by which an ironing board with foldablesupporting structure may be held in raised position without the use insaid supporting structure of'catches or latches.

In collapsible supporting structures for ironing boards, and similararticles, it has long been customary to provide means by which acollapsible, jointed, structure is converted into. a non-collapsible,immovable, structure by the fixing of one of said movable partsimmovably with respect to another part. The particular means by whichsaid one part is fixed immovably with respect to said other part haslong been a subject of much attention and many devices have beenproposed for accomplishing this purpose. Frequently, said first memberis made slidable with respect to said second member and latch or catchmeans are provided for preventing sliding of said one member on saidsecond member in either direction until said latch or catch is manuallyreleased. Such devices have the advantage of being positive in theiraction, but they have the disadvantage of requiring special apparatus toeiTect the desired latching functions and accordingly are expensive tofabricate and sometimes not entirely satisfactory in operation. Otherdevices have employed a slider comprising a split ring in which thematerial adjacent the edges of the split portion of the ring is utilizedto develope sufiicient friction at a predetermined point in therelationship of said one member with respect to said second member toprevent further sliding. This device likewise is eifective andreasonably satisfactory but it also contains certain disadvantages inoperating and in manufacture which makes further simplificationdesirable.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of this invention to provide meansadaptable to use in combination with a collapsible supporting structurefor an ironing board, or similar device, which will eliminate the usefullatches or catches and yet be positive and certain in its operation.

'A further objectof the invention is to provide a fastening device, asaforesaid, which will be of extreme simplicity.

A further object of the invention is to provide a fastenin device, asaforesaid, which will be economical to fabricate.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device, as aforesaid,which will be sturdy and will be able to withstand an amount of improperuse and yet continue to function correctly.

Other objects and purposes of the invention will be apparent to personsacquainted with apparatus of this general type upon reading thefollowing disclosure and inspection of the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 represents a side elevation of an ironing board utilizing mycollapsible supporting structure shown in raised position and from theside thereof.

Figure 2 represents a bottom view of said iron- General construction Ingeneral, my invention relates to the arrangement of collapsible legstructure and the provision therewith of a gripping device so mountedthat: (1) when said structure is in its raised position the forcesacting between said movable parts are such that no force urging saidparts to move in structure collapsing direction is generated and (2) aload on the table creates effective forces which generate a frictionalgripping of one part by another part by which to assure further andgreater stability of the table, (3) when said load is removed saidadditional gripping force is removed but sufiicient remains to preventcollapsing of the table, and (4) when the structure is manually moved ashort distance in its collapsing direction, the arrangement of saidparts is then such that very little friction exists and movement of theparts in the collapsing direction maybe continued readily. Morespecifically, the invention contemplates a three legged structure, eachleg being pivoted with respect to the table, and a pair of brace memberspivoted at their respective one ends intermediate the ends of each oftwo of said legs and pivotally connected at their other respective endsto a slider. Said slider encircles the third of said legs in slidingrelationship therewith. Said slider is made somewhat larger than the legwhich it encircles by which to permit some cooking with respect theretoand the said brace members are connected to said slider somewhat oifcenter with respect thereto, Said brace members also con-- verge as theyapproach said slider so that when said table is subjected to loadand'said brace to retract said movement will be relatively small.

In the following detailed descriptio for purposes of convenience theterms upper and lower will be freely used and will refer to the parts ofthe device, or directions concerned, when the device is in its normalposition of use. The terms forwardly and frearwardly and the termsleftwardly and rightwardly, will be alternatively used and will refer tothe leftward and rightward, respectively, parts of the device whenappearing as shown inFigure 1 of the drawings.

Detailed description Referring now to the drawings in detail, Figure 1shows the structure of the invention applied to an ironing board i. Saidironing board is supported by a pair of rearward legs 2 and Spivotallysupported at their upper ends 5 and'ifiiadjacent the rearward corners land 8 of said ironing board. Said legs are preferably arranged slightlydivergent with respect to each other but this arrangement forms no partof the invention. A forward leg 9, is of U-snaped cross-section openingrearwardly, is pivotally positioned about midway between the rearwardand forward ends of said ironing board, is of such length that when itoccupies a position approximately 65 degrees to the horizontal and therearward legs are substantially perpendicular with respect to thehorizontal, the table will be supported in a substantially horizontalposition. A pair of brace members if! and i i are pivotally affixed attheir rearward ends to said rearward legs at points substantiallyintermediate the ends of said respective rearward legs. Said bracemembers are likewise pivotally affixed at their forward endsto theopposite sides of said forward leg 9 at a point l5 near its lowermostextremity.

A pair of control members if and 18 are pivotally affixed at theirrearward ends to said rearward legs at points thereon substantiallyintermediate the ends of said rearward legs, and said points mayconveniently be the same points as those at which the said brace membersare aflixed to said rearward legs. The forward ends of said controlmembers are pivotally affixed by the rivet on either side of a slidermember 2 i, said slider comprising a loop portion 22 conforming to theshape of said forward leg and a tab portion '23. Said control membersare affixed to said slider at a point 2Q which is displaced from thecenter of said tab portion in a direction toward the lowermost end ofsaid forward leg.

The forward side 25 of said forward leg is shown in Figure 4 as roundedthrough substantially 180 degrees. The slider is shown as similarlyrounded to conform thereto. While this is the convenient, and normallypreferable, structure, it arises primarily from the ease with whichparts of such shape may be fabricated and does not comprise anyessential portion of the invention. Said forward leg and said slider maybe fabricated in any convenient shape providing only there is provided asubstantial surface of contact between the for-' ward surface of saidleg and the surface of said slider facing same for reasons appearinghereinafter.

Said legs are so proportioned with respect to each other and theirpoints of pivoting with respect to each other and with respect to theironing board I are such that when said supporting.

structure of said board is in its fully raised position, as appearing inFigure l, the control rods El and i8 will be substantially perpendicularto the forward leg 9. In such position the slider 21 and the controlrods I1 and 28 will assume the posi tion shown in solid lines in Figure3. This causes the lower edge is of the slider to bite into the rearwardedges i3 and 28 of the forward leg 9 in the manner to effect a veryreliable frictional gripping thereof.

With reference to the drawing, Figures 2 and 4, it will be seen that asthe structure is erected the control rods ll and 58 are spread (hiddenedges show the collapsed structure) at the ends remote from pivotalconnection to the slider 2|. The maximum spreading occurs when thestructure is fully erected. This spreading action causes a response ofthe ends of the control rods Hand .18 against the sides of the tabs 23causing the tabs 23 to be squeezed together constricting the loopportion 22 upon the forward leg in the manner of a clamp. This clampingor squeezing action achieves its maximum effect upon full erection ofthe structure and complements the biting acion achieved by the ofisetpositioning of the pivotal connection upon the tabs 23, the clamping andbiting occurring at the preselected position desired.

Further, with a compressive load being placed on the control rods H and18, said rods will hold the two flanges of the tab 23 firmly togetherand thus hold thesides 2! and 28 firmly together and against the sidesof the leg i3 adjacent the ends 59 and 2B.

Thus, when said table becomes loaded, the forces acting between thecontrol rods I? and i8 and the forward leg 93 urge the edge It withprogressively greater force against the edges 19 and 20 of the forwardleg 9, and simultaneously the sides 2! and 28 are similarly pressedagainst the sides of the forward leg 5 adjacent said rearward edgesthereof [5) and 25. These forces, together with the fact that the thrustof said control rods i1 and I3 is substantially perpendicular to thelongitudinal centerline of the forward leg 9 makes it impossible forsaid slider to move downwardly along said leg and thus the supportingstructure for said table is firmly and rigidly held in table supportingposition.

However, when the load is removed from said table, the gripping forcesimposed onto the :slider are simultaneously removed and it can be easilymoved by hand downwardly toward'the lower extremity it of said forwardleg 9. Because of the large surface between the forward portion 29 ofthe slider and the corresponding forwardportion 26 of the forward leg 9,this sliding will be easily effected merely by pulling thelower end ofsaid leg 9 forwardly after the slider has moved a short distance,approximately one-fourth to one-third of the length of said leg, awayfrom the upper end thereof. This materially facilitates the collapsingof the leg structure.

It will be thus appreciated that I have provided a structure capable ofaccomplishing the various objectives above set forth.

It will be recognized that numerous variations may be made from thespecific structural details appearing in the particular embodimentherein chosen for illustrative purposes, and excepting as thehereinafter appended claims specifically require otherwise, saidstructural variations will be included within the scope of saidhereinafter appended claims.

I claim:

1. In collapsible structure for supporting a panel in substantiallyhorizontal position, having a pair of legs pivotally alifixed near therearward corners of said panel, a leg pivotally affixed at a pointintermediate the ends of said panel and of substantially greater lengththan said first two named legs, a pair of brace members pivotallyafilxed intermediate the ends of said rearward legs and pivotallyaflixed at their forward ends near the forward extremities of saidforward leg, a pair of control members pivotally afiixed intermediatethe ends of said rearward legs and extending toward said forward leg,slider means affixed to the forward end of said control members andslidably engaging said forward leg, all of said members being soproportioned and their points of fastening to said panel being so spacedwith respect to the lengths of said members that when the free ends ofsaid leg mem bers define a plane substantially parallel to said panelsaid control members will be substantially perpendicular with respect tosaid forward leg; the improvement in said slider and forward legconstruction comprising: said forward leg having a substantiallyU-shaped cross-section and positioned to open toward said other twolegs; said slider encircling said forward leg and having those wallsthereof which face said forward leg contoured substantially similarlythereto, and comprising a clamping loop portion encircling said forwardleg having tab portions extending rearwardly from said loop, said tabsbeing spaced apart from each other in generally parallel relationship toeach other and pivotally affixed, oifset from the geometric center ofsaid tabs, to the forward ends of said control members; said loop beinglarger in a direction parallel to the flanges of said U-shaped forwardleg than the corresponding dimension of said U-shaped forward leg andextensions of said forward ends of the control members bearing againstthe said tabs of said loop in the manner of a clamp.

2. The device defined in claim 1 wherein the 'point of pivotalconnection between said tabs and the forward ends ofisaid controlmembers is 10- cated at a point between the longitudinal center line ofsaid slider andthe edge thereof remote from said table.

3. The device defined in claim 1 wherein the sides of said sliderconverge in a direction toward said tabs suificiently to engage the freeedges of said U-shaped member.

4. In collapsible structure for supporting a panel in a preselectedposition, and including a first part movably positioned with respect toa second part, means selectively holding said parts against movementcomprising: the improvement in said slider and forward leg constructioncomprising: said second part having a substantially U-shapedeross-section and positioned to open toward said first part; said sliderencircling said second part and having those walls thereof which facesaid second part contoured substantially similarly thereto, andcomprising a loop portion encircling said second part and tab portionsextending rearwardly from said loop, said tabs being spaced apart fromeach other in generally parallel relationship to each other andpivotally affixed, offset from the geometric center of said tabs, to theadjacent ends of said first part; said loop being larger in a directionparallel to the flanges of said U-shaped second part than thecorresponding dimension of said U-shaped second part; and means at theends of said first parts whereby said tabs may be pressed togetherclamping said loop portion of said slider upon said forward leg at aprearranged point.

5. The device defined in claim l'wherein at the point of finalconvergence of the said slider with the free edges of the U-shaped leg,the slider is tilted out of parallel with respect to said U- shapedforward leg so as to exert a biting action on the free edges of the saidU-shaped forward leg.

' CHAS. T. GILBERT.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 2,042,075 Sadenwater May 26, 1938 2,127,494 Tepper Aug. 23,1938 2,249,983 Sadenwater July 22, 1941

